Ravne na Koroškem

Ravne na Koroškem (pronounced [ˈɾaːu̯nɛ na kɔˈɾoːʃkɛm]; until 1952: Guštanj, German: Gutenstein in Kärnten) is a town in northern Slovenia. It is the largest town and traditional capital of Slovenia's Carinthia region. The town has a long tradition in steel industry.

Name

The name Ravne na Koroškem literally means 'Ravne in Carinthia'. The word ravne means 'flat terrain' in Slovene, and is a common place name in the Slovene-inhabited territories. The name of the settlement was changed from Guštanj (from German Gutenstein) to Ravne na Koroškem in 1952 on the basis of the 1948 Law on Names of Settlements and Designations of Squares, Streets, and Buildings as part of efforts by Slovenia's postwar communist government to remove German elements from toponyms.

History

Part of the Duchy of Carinthia from 976, King Henry II of Germany granted the area to the Bishops of Bamberg in 1007. The settlement was first mentioned as Gutenstain in a 1263 deed.

Ravne na Koroškem was granted town status in 1952. The history of the steel industry in the town goes back 380 years.